Effects of different ingredients on texture of ice cream

Abstract

Ice cream is a popular dairy product among consumers of all ages. Textural attributes of ice are the key factors determining the market success of the product. Ice cream is a dairy aerated dessert that is frozen prior to consumption. It is a microcrystalline network of liquid and solid phases. It contains air cells entrapped in liquid phase and various other components like proteins, fat globules, stabilizers, sugar, soluble and insoluble salts are also present in this phase. It is a complex physicochemical and colloidal system consisting on many complex ingredients that affect ice cream structure both in positive and defective functionality. Both stabilizers and emulsifiers improve the texture of ice cream by enhancing its viscosity and limiting the movement of free water molecules but their excess may cause the lower melting and less whip ability. As sugar provides sweet taste, improves thickness as well as bulkiness but on other hand its excessive use can turn ice cream into soggy structure above solid contents of about 42%. One of its compositional contents, fat, also exerts good effects on body, texture, palatability, flavor intensity, emulsion formation and maintenance of melting point. If fat contents exceed a specific usage concentration they cause faster meltdown of ice cream along with destabilization and agglomeration of fat droplets. Higher overrun results in collapsing of air cells ultimately shrinkage of structure occurs. Hardness might also reduced as a result of smaller ice crystals due to high overrun values. Fiber addition causes the binding of free water hence flow rate get reduced and consistency coefficient as well as viscosity enhanced. Binding of water results in less availability of its molecules; freezing point rises and melting point decreases. It is much critical to control the balance ice cream properties by maintaining its structure, texture and body. It is a best carrier for fruit fiber, chunks, purees, paste, concentrates; milk and whey isolates and concentrates; egg, egg yolks and their products; different flavorings, nuts, chocolate, probiotics and yogurt. So far, it is important to maintain its solid contents and structure with balanced proportion of ingredients.